Portable armrest divider and expander

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is divider for an arm rest including two upright members with the top of the first upright member connected to a top of the second upright member at an acute angle, a bottom of the first upright member, the bottom of the first upright member spaced apart from a bottom of the second upright member, a first horizontal member, the first horizontal member hingedly connected to the bottom of the first upright member; and a second horizontal member, the second horizontal member hingedly connected to the bottom of the second upright member.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/687,902 filed Apr.15, 2015 which is currently pending which a continuation-in-part andclaims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/033,453 (now abandoned), filed on Sep. 21, 2013, the entirety ofthe aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of furniture and,more specifically, to chairs with armrests.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Row seating is employed in airplanes, movie theaters, waiting rooms, andother similar locations. Their great advantage is that they provideseating for large numbers of people in close proximity of each other.

A major disadvantage of row seating as currently offered by the industryis that the armrests are narrow and difficult to use at the same timefor both people sitting in the seats on both sides of the armrests.

Another disadvantage is that these armrests are unsanitary. Thoughcommon practice is to wipe them down between movies when there is someobvious evidence of a need, e.g., some sort of liquid on the material,these armrests can go entire days without proper cleaning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Travelers often seek some method to expand the space they take while onplanes. For these individuals, the size of the armrest is nearlyirrelevant—they want to take it all. For the passengers unlucky enoughto be seated next to such people, travel can be very uncomfortable.Faced with pushing back against a large and often unruly individual issocially awkward and uncomfortable to many people, who tend to justtolerate the boorish behavior rather than risk an even more unpleasantplane flight by adding a tense conversation.

The frequent traveler needs a device that can increase the armrest sizeavailable to him, provide some simple barrier to the spatialencroachments by his neighbors and ensure a sanitary surface on which torest his arms and elbows. These needs are preferably met without anundue burden to the carrying capacity of travelers. With baggage feesand limited onboard storage space a solution cannot be bulky anddifficult to transport. Furthermore, another complaint among travelersis a lack of electronic charging sources. Many airports are desperatelyshort on charging stations leaving many travelers having to choosebetween using their electronics for communication or entertainment.Virtually no source is located on the plane itself making multipleflight trips and long flight trips burdensome to the traveler.

This background information is provided to reveal information believedby the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention.No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that anyof the proceeding information constitutes prior art against the presentinvention.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is a portable armrest divider for use by those inrow seating who desire armrests that are wider, more sanitary, or have aseparation than the installed armrests provide.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art upon reference to the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

For a better understanding of the disclosure, and to show by way ofexample how the same may be carried into effect, reference is now madeto the detailed description of the disclosure along with theaccompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in the differentfigures refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the Armrest Divider100.

FIG. 2 is the second perspective view as FIG. 1, viewed more closelythan in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a third perspective view of the embodiment of the ArmrestDivider shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 partially folded.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 with optional embodiment including a Divider Strap 200.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of one embodiment of the Armrest Divider 100.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of one embodiment of the Armrest Divider 100in the folded position (not including Mounting Strap 140 and AdjustableBuckle 150).

FIG. 8 shows a front view of a second embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 in an Open position.

FIG. 9 shows a front view of a second embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 in a Closed position.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the ArmrestDivider 100.

FIG. 10A shows a top view of the third embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the ArmrestDivider 100.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the Armrest Divider100 shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 contains a legend for the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those ofordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are notintended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the presentinvention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons havingthe benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to the elementsthroughout.

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics forthe purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that many variations and alterations to the following detailsare within scope of the invention. Accordingly, the followingembodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss ofgenerality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimedinvention.

In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilledin the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,”“upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience ofthe reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in theart should notice this description may contain other terminology toconvey position, orientation, and direction without departing from theprinciples of the present invention.

Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the artshould note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,”“substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to meanthat the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes amajority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of theseterms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and themeaning may be expressly modified.

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts,which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. Thedisclosure is primarily described and illustrated hereinafter inconjunction with various embodiments of a folding Portable ArmrestDivider 11. The specific embodiment discussed herein is, however, merelyillustrative of specific ways to make and use the disclosure and do notlimit the scope of the disclosure to the specific context disclosed.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 & 2, an installed Armrest Divider, according toan embodiment of the present invention, is discussed in detail. Thisembodiment may comprise three flat surfaces 110, 120, 130 connected by aHinge 160 on one straight side where they meet.

In the embodiment shown in the figures, the Left Side 110 and Right Side120 are mirror images of each other, with the Section Divider 130connectedly hinged between them so they can be folded together as athree-page book, as shown in FIG. 7, or opened fully as in FIGS. 1-3, 5,and 6, so the Left Side 110 and Right Side 120 lay flat on either sideof the Section Divider 130, which acts as a middle page that isconstructed to rigidly extend upwards when the Armrest Divider 100assembly is in an open position.

The Armrest Divider 100 may be mounted on a vehicle armrest, and may beheld in place by two adjustable Mounting Straps 140 that may extend fromthe exterior Sides 110, 120 of the Armrest Divider 100, down and aroundthe vehicle's stock armrest, and fixed in place by an Adjustable Buckle150 below the armrest.

The Armrest 100 may be configured to use flat inelastic Mounting Straps140 in conjunction with the Adjustable Buckle 150, but alternativeembodiments may use elastic Mounting Straps 140 and a non-adjustablebuckle, or even just elastic loops that fit over a seat's armrest tohold them in place.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a partially closed Armrest Divider, accordingto an embodiment of the invention, is now described in detail. Thisdrawing shows a particular location for the Mounting Straps 140 goingthrough slots in the Right and Left Sides 110, 120. (This drawing doesnot show the lower portion of the straps.) A person with ordinary skillin the art could locate the Mounting Straps 140 in several locations,and use the two straps as shown, or use a different number or type ofstraps.

Though the Left Side 110 and Right Side 120 are mirror images in thisembodiment, the invention does not require that the two sides be alike.The three parts of the Armrest Divider 100 can be all three alike, orsubstantially different, except that all three of the major componentsmust attach together on one side.

The Armrest Divider 100 may be constructed to hold the central SectionDivider 130 vertically in place. There are many means for holding theSection Divider 130 vertical, including the use thick, hinged surfacesas demonstrated and shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, or using Divider Straps 200that keep the Section Divider 130 upright when the sides are open, asshown in FIG. 5. The applicant asserts that a person having ordinaryskill in the art could employ a multitude of constructions of theArmrest Divider 100 that allow it to close into an essentially flatproduct, and open such that the Section Divider 130 is held upright whenthe Left and Right Sides 110, 120 are opened.

One embodiment of the Armrest Divider 100, may comprise a user mountingthe invention by: 1) opening the Left and Right Sides 110 and 120, 2)locating the Armrest Divider 100 on top of the armrest on which theArmrest Divider 100 is to be mounted, 3) joining the two ends of theMounting Straps 140 under the armrest using the Adjustable Buckle 150,and 4) tightening the Mounting Straps 140 so the Armrest Divider 100 isheld in place.

To remove the Armrest Divider 100 from a mounted position on a vehiclearmrest, a user may simply release the Adjustable Buckle 150, fold theArmrest Divider 100, and pick up the folded Armrest Divider 100 forstorage.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a front view of an Armrest Divider 100 in anOpen position, according to an embodiment of the invention, is discussedin detail. In one embodiment of the invention, the Armrest Divider 100may comprise Left and Right Sides 110 and 120 that may fold up fromtheir Closed position. The Closed position may be represented by FIG. 9and discussed in detail below. The Left and Right Sides 110 and 120 maybe supported by Mounting Stands 170 that may be pressed against thearmrest. Tension between the Mounting Stands 170 and the armrest mayprovide a stable and stationary base for the multiple armrests createdby the Armrest Divider 100. In one embodiment of the invention, aspresented in FIG. 8, the Section Divider 130 may comprise two or moreflat surfaces. The two or more flat surfaces of the Section Divider 130may be coupled by a Section Divider Connector 180. The Section DividerConnector 180 may comprise at least one of, but not limited to, a screwmechanism, a snapping mechanism, a magnetic mechanism, and a Velcromechanism.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a front view of an Armrest Divider 100 in aClosed position, according to an embodiment of the invention, isdiscussed in detail. The Left and Right Sides 110 and 120 may fold downfrom the Open position in on embodiment of the invention. The MountingStands 170 may fold internal to the Left and Right Sides 110 and 120.Throughout the disclosure the Left and Right Sides 110 and 120 may alsobe referred to as the first rigid flat surface and the second rigid flatsurface.

Referring now to FIG. 10 and FIG. 10A, a diagram of an Armrest Divider100, according to an embodiment of the invention, is discussed indetail. In one embodiment of the invention, the Armrest Divider 100 maycomprise a Zipper Apparatus 190 for securing the Armrest Divider 100 inthe Closed position. The Armrest Divider 100 may further comprise anElectronic Charging Source 210. The Zipper Apparatus 190 may beconfigured to run along an outer edge of the Left and Right sides 110and 120. The Zipper Apparatus 190 may be configured to secure the Leftand Right Sides 110 and 120 to each other. The Zipper Apparatus may befurther configured to provide a pouch or carrying case, furtherenhancing the use of the Armrest Divider 100 when it is not mounted toan armrest. One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that thereare a plurality of means for securing the Armrest Divider 100 in theClosed position that may be used in the same manner as the ZipperApparatus.

The Electronic Charging Source 210 may comprise at least one of, but notlimited to, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an alternating current(AC) outlet, and a direct current (DC) outlet. The Electronic ChargingSource 210 may provide a USB port familiar to the charging mechanism fora plurality of phones and tablets. The Electronic Charging Source 210may be electronically coupled to an internal power source. The internalpower source may comprise a rechargeable battery. The ElectronicCharging Source 210 and the internal power source may both be configuredto be housed in the Section Divider. One of ordinary skill in the artcan appreciate that there are a plurality of power sources, electronicadapters, ports, and outlets that may serve the same purpose as the USBport and rechargeable battery. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in theart can appreciate that both of these items may be placed in a pluralityof locations within or upon the Armrest Divider 100 without changing thefunction of those items or the Armrest Divider 100.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show yet another potential embodiment. In thisembodiment, the Mounting Stand 170 extends from the Right Side 120 andLeft Side 110 and hold the Armrest Divider in place using the tension ofthe Mounting Stands 170 against an armrest on which the device ismounted.

The Armrest Divider 100 may be configured to comprise a plurality ofexternal designs. The designs may comprise a plurality of fashionableand/or functional concepts including but not limited to, rubberizedcoating for additional grip, vintage leather, sports teams, corporateinsignia, personal initials, and many more custom ideas. Additionally,the Armrest Divider 100 may comprise other functional add-ons including,but not limited to, a handle, mirror, calculator, notepad, writingutensil holder, business card holder, and many more custom ideas.

It is considered within the ambit of one skilled in the art to constructan Armrest Divider 100 that uses other methods of holding the inventionin place. For example, for row seats that have a constructiondisallowing the straps from encircling the stock armrest, a set offold-out rails that extend from the bottom of the Left and Right Sides110 and 120, or a pair of spring-loaded clamps attached at the ends ofthe device that extend down and grasp the stock armrest.

Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may beadvantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problemsnot discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan. While theabove description contains much specificity, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but asexemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many otherramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of thevarious embodiments. While the invention has been described withreference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents maybe substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope ofthe invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the inventionwithout departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it isintended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodimentdisclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out thisinvention, but that the invention will include all embodiments fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and thedescription, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of theinvention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they areunless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only andnot for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore notbeing so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. donot denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second,etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, theuse of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, butrather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.

What is claimed is:
 1. A divider for an arm rest, the dividercomprising: a first upright member; a second upright member; a top ofthe first upright member, the top of the first upright member connectedto a top of the second upright member at an acute angle; a bottom of thefirst upright member, the bottom of the first upright member spacedapart from a bottom of the second upright member; a first horizontalmember, the first horizontal member hingedly connected to the bottom ofthe first upright member; and a second horizontal member, the secondhorizontal member hingedly connected to the bottom of the second uprightmember.
 2. The divider of claim 1 wherein each of the first horizontalmember and the second horizontal member have a first end and a secondend and wherein the respective first ends are wider than the secondends.
 3. The divider of claim 2 wherein the connector is configured tomaintain a space between the bottom of the first upright member and thebottom of the second upright member.
 4. The divider of claim 2 furthercomprising: a second connector extending between the first uprightmember and the second upright member.
 5. The divider of claim 1 furthercomprising: a first clamp member hingedly connected to an underside ofthe first horizontal member; and a second clamp member hingedlyconnected to an underside of the first horizontal member.
 6. The dividerof claim 1 further comprising: a first connector extending between thefirst upright member and the second upright member.
 7. The divider ofclaim 1 further comprising: a zipper connecting the first horizontalmember and the second horizontal member; wherein the zipper comprises afirst zipper portion and a second zipper portion; wherein the firstzipper portion is disposed on the first horizontal member; and whereinthe second zipper portion is disposed on the second horizontal member.8. The divider of claim 1 wherein the divider is configured to bedisposed in one of an open position for attachment to the arm rest and aclosed position for stowage.
 9. The divider of claim 8 wherein, in theopen position, the first and second upright members are substantiallyperpendicular to the first and second horizontal members and wherein, inthe closed position, the first and second upright members aresubstantially parallel to the first and second horizontal members.
 10. Asix-panel divider for an arm rest, the divider comprising: an uprightmember comprising a first panel and having a first edge and a secondedge; a second panel having a third edge and a fourth edge; a firstarmrest member comprising a third panel having a fifth edge; a secondarmrest member comprising a fourth panel having a sixth edge; whereinthe first edge of the first panel is flexibly connected to the thirdedge of the second panel; wherein the fifth edge of the third panel ishingedly connected to the second edge of the first panel; wherein thesixth edge of the fourth panel is hingedly connected to the fourth edgeof the second panel; a first clamping member comprising a fifth panelhaving a seventh edge; a second clamping member comprising a sixth panelhaving an eighth edge; wherein the seventh edge of the fifth panel ishingedly connected to the third panel; wherein the eighth edge of thesixth panel is hingedly connected to the fourth panel; and a connectorconnecting the first panel to the second panel, the connector configuredto squeeze the second edge of the first panel towards the fourth edge ofthe second panel, and, thereby, squeeze the first clamping membertowards the second clamping member.
 11. The six-panel divider of claim10: wherein the third panel further comprises a seventh edge having afirst zipper portion; and wherein the fourth panel further comprises aneighth edge having a second zipper portion.
 12. The six-panel divider ofclaim 10: wherein each of the third panel and the second panel have afirst end and a second end; and wherein the respective first ends arewider than the second ends.
 13. The six-panel divider of claim 10wherein the six-panel divider is configured to be disposed in one of anopen position for attachment to the arm rest and a closed position forstowage.
 14. The six-panel divider of claim 13 wherein, in the openposition, the first and second panels are substantially perpendicular tothe third and fourth panels and wherein, in the closed position, thefirst and second panels are substantially parallel to the third andfourth panels.
 15. A divider for an arm rest, the divider comprising: asection divider having a first side member and a second side member; aleft side member hingedly connected to a bottom of the section divider;a right side member hingedly connected to the bottom of the sectiondivider; a first section divider connector connecting the first sidemember to the second side member; wherein the divider is configured tobe disposed in one of an open position for attachment to the arm restand a closed position for stowage; wherein, in the open position, thefirst and second side members of the section divider are substantiallyperpendicular to the first and second side members; wherein, in theclosed position, the first and second side members of the sectiondivider are substantially parallel to the left and right side members;and a first mounting stand hingedly connected to a bottom of the leftside member; and a second mounting stand hingedly connected to a bottomof the right side member.
 16. The divider for an arm rest of claim 15further comprising: a first strap having a first buckle portionconnected to a first side of the section divider; a second strap havinga second buckle portion connected to a second side of the sectiondivider; and wherein the first and second strap the first and secondbuckle portions are configured to releasably secure the divider to thearm rest.
 17. The divider of claim 1 further comprising: a first straphaving a first buckle portion connected to a first side of the firstupright member; a second strap having a second buckle portion connectedto a second side of the second upright member; and wherein the first andsecond strap the first and second buckle portions are configured toreleasably secure the divider to the arm rest.